Frederick the Great to Voltaire (1742 April 12) - Leaf 1
1 2017-06-10T10:58:49-07:00 Curtis Fletcher 3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673e 8476 2 See the original letter in the USC Digital Library plain 2017-08-14T19:22:56-07:00 Curtis Fletcher 3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673eThis page is referenced by:
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Frederick the Great to Voltaire - 1742 April 12
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See a translation of this letter.
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45.4044444,13.6927778
1742 April 12
To M. de Voltaire
E/
1. It is here that we see all the saints in their wall niches,
2. Perched in the woods, on bridges, on roads,
3. And their procession, mylords the beggars,
4. Languish on the snow;
5. While, blades of Croesus,
6. The powerful Counts of Bohemia ,
7. Unsparing of their income,
8. Ruin their subjects, and devour each other,
9. To maintain their horses;
10. While our lords the bigots,
11. Much better informed of their machinations
12. Than of the poor and their miseries,
13. Manipulate their doctrine
14. For the elected and their equals,
15. And show off to fools.
16. It is here that we see all your fickle French
17. Who languish in inaction;
18. Until this moment they have only seen
19. The ridiculous homage
20. That Linz and Prague have made ,
21. And the abduction of their equipage[2].
22. Your Frenchmen, who are really bored in Bohemia, are not
23. the less amiable and smart. It is perhaps the only nation that
24. can find, when facing misfortune, a source of jokes
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25. and merriment. It is because of M. de Broglie’s[3] cries for help
26. that I rushed to his aid and that Moravia will remain
27. fallow until fall.
28. You ask me for how much my gentlemen
29. brothers have agreed to ruin the earth. To this
30. I answer that I do not know, but it is now
31. fashionable to make war , and one presumes
32. that it will last a long time.
33. The abbot of Saint-Pierre[4], who takes enough notice of me
34. to honor me with his correspondence, has sent me a beautiful
35. work on the means of restoring peace to Europe
36. and retaining it forever. The thing is most practical ;
37. all that it lacks for its success is Europe’s consent,
38. and a few other similar trifles.
39. How much am I indebted to you, my dear Voltaire,
40. for the very great pleasure you promise me by allowing me
41. to hope that I shall soon receive the History of Louis XIV![5]
42. Accustomed as I am to communicate with you,
43. I am jealous of your works;
44. Dear Voltaire, give them to us.
45. I want to learn them by rote;
46. There is no salvation without you.
47. You think perhaps that I have not enough worries
48. here and that I must in addition be alarmed about your health.
49. You should take more care to preserve your health;
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50. I entreat you to remember how interested I am in its preservation,
51. and how much you should be attached to this world,
52. of which you are the delight.
53. All parts of the netherworld
54. In Ovid appear beautiful,
55. I think that Elysium abounds
56. In all that is good without any deficiencies.
57. But think at least that quite quickly
58. One can board Charon’s black skiff,
59. That when once one takes up residence
60. In this undescribable place
61. One is there forever captive,
62. Therefore go there with lagging steps.
63. Rest assured that the life I am leading has changed
64. neither my character nor my way of thinking.
65. I love Remusberg[6] and its quiet days; but we must
66. adapt ourselves to our station in life and make our duties
67. a pleasure.
68. First may peace be made,
69. May I find in my solitude
70. Laughter, Pleasure and the Arts,
71. Our beautiful ladies with touching glances,
72. Maupertuis[7] with telescopes[8],
73. Hardworking Algarotti[9],
74. Our scholars with their readers:
75. But to what end will these festivities serve,
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76. Dear Voltaire, if you are not part of them?
77. Being on the point of continuing my march,
78. I have no time to say more. Adieu dear Voltaire;
79. don’t forget the poor Ixion[10] who is bound like
80. a miserable wretch to the great wheel of history
81. and whose admiration of you is equal to his affection.
82. Signed federic.
[Shelfmark: rare fF840 V 935 d]
[1] “Tribau” refers to the town of Moravská Třebová (East Bohemia, Czech Republic). It was the largest German linguistic enclave within Bohemia and Moravia. Until 1918 the town was part of the Austrian monarchy. See: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names: ID: 1027394
[2] In the 18th century, the word “equipage” was used in English and is defined by Samuel Johnson as follows: “Equipage. [equipage, Fr.] 1. Furniture for a horseman. 2. Carriage of state; vehicle (…).” (Samuel Johnson. Dictionary of the English Language. Dublin: Thomas Ewing, 1768, 3rd edition, vol. 2.)
[3] Here, Frederick refers to Victor François de Broglie, 2nd duc de Broglie (19 October 1718 – 30 March 1804) who was a French aristocrat and Marshal of France. In the War of the Austrian Succession he took part in the storming of Prague in 1742, and was made a brigadier.
[5] Frederick refers here to an early version of Le Siècle de Louis XIV. For more information on this book, see Le Siècle de Louis XIV.
[6] By “Remusberg” (better known as Rheinsberg) Frederick refers here to his Rheinsberg Palace. For information about this palace, see Rheinsberg Palace.
[7] Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (28 September 1698 – 27 July 1759) was a mathematician, biologist, and astronomer, born (in Saint Malo, France) in a family of provincial French nobility. For more information see Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis.
[8] “Telescope. s.m. Nom générique de tous les instruments d’Astronomie (…) Et l’on nomme Lunette d’approche, ou simplement Lunette, tout télescope à tuyau qui n’est composé que de verre.” (Telescope The generic name of all instruments of astronomy (...) One uses the words Lunette d’approche, or simply Lunette for any tubular telescope which is composed only of glass. " Dictionnaire de l’Académie Françoise, Nismes: Gaudes, 1777, vol. 2, p. 584.
[9] Francesco Algarotti (11 December 1712 - 3 May 1764) was a well-traveled Venician author and courtier, and one of the most widely published Italians. For more information see Francesco Algarotti.
[10] In Greek mythology, Ixion, a Thessalian king and the ruler of the Lapiths (the most ancient tribe of Thessaly, in central Greece), was the first mortal to shed a kinsman's blood. For more information see Ixion. -
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Frederick the Great to Voltaire - 1742 April 12 - Transcription
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See a transcription of this letter.
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A M. de Voltaire
E/
1. C'est icy que l'on voit tous les saints Ennichés
2. dans les bois, sur les pons[2], sur les chemins perchés,
3. et messieurs les gueux leur cortège
4. qui se morfondent sur la neige
5. tandis que tranchant du Crésus
6. les puissants comtes de Bohëmes
7. prodigues de leurs revenus,
8. Ruinent leurs sujets et se mangent eux mêmes
9. pour entretenir leurs chevaux
10. et que nosseigneurs [sic] les Bigots,
11. mieux ins truits de leur Cuisine
12. que des pauvres et de leurs maux
13. chès les Élus et leurs Egaux
14. s'en vont promener leur Doctrine
15. et se font admirer des sots.
16. C'est icy que l'on voit tous vos français volages,
17. dans l'Inaction morfondus,
18. Jusqu'à ce moment ils n'ont vu
19. que les ridicules hommages
20. que lins et que prague ont rendus
21. et le Rapt de leurs Équipages.
22. Vos français qui S'ennuyent bien en Bohëme, n'en sont pas
23. moins amiables et malins, c'est peut être la seule nation qui
24. trouve dans l'infortune même une source de plaisanterie
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25. et de guayeté; c'est aux cris de m(onsieur) de Broglie que Je
26. suis accouru a son secours, et que la moravie restera
27. en friche Jusqu'à l'automne.
28. Vous me demandés pour combien, messieurs mes
29. freres, se sont donnés le mot de ruiner la terre, à cela
30. Je vous reponds que Je n'en sais rien, mais que c'est la
31. mode à présent de faire la guerre, et qu'il est à croire
32. qu'elle durera longtems.
33. L'abbé de St. Pierre qui me Distingue assés pour
34. m'honorer de sa Correspondance, m'a envoyé un bel
35. ouvrage sur la façon de retablir la paix en Europe,
36. et de la constater a Jamais; la chose est très practicable,
37. il ne manque pour la faire réussir que le Consentement
38. de l'Europe, et quelques autres Bagatélles semblables.
39. Que ne vous dois je point, mon cher Voltaire,
40. du grandissime plaisir que vous me promettés, me faisant
41. espérer de recevoir bientot l'histoire de Louis 14.
42. accoutumé de vous Entendre
43. de vos œuvres Je suis Jaloux
44. cher Voltaire, donnés les nous,
45. par Cœur Je voudrais vous apprendre
46. Il n'est point de salut sans vous.
47. Vous pensés peut être que Je n'ay point assés d'inquiétude
48. icy et qu'il fallait encore m'allarmer pour votre sante,
49. vous devriés prendre plus de soin pour votre conservation,
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50. souvenés Vous Je vous prie combien cette conservation
51. m'intéresse, et combien vous devés être attaché à ce
52. monde icy dont vous faittes les Délices.
53. Tous ces endroits de l'autre monde
54. dans ovide paraissent beaux
55. Je crois que l'Élisée abonde
56. de tous nos biens sans leurs défauts
57. mais pensés du moins qu'assés vite
58. l'on peut passer le noir Esquif
59. que lorsqu'une fois l'on habite
60. cet indeffinissable gite
61. on y reste a Jamais captif.
62. allés y donc à pas Tardif.
63. Vous pouvés compter que la vie que Je mène[3] n'a rien
64. changé de mon Caractère ni[4] de ma façon de penser.
65 J'aime Remusberg et les Jours tranquiles, mais il faut
66. se plier[5] à son état dans le monde et se faire un plaisir
67. de son devoir.
68. D'abord que la paix sera faitte,
69. Je retrouve dans ma retraitte
70. les ris les plaisirs et les arts,
71. nos bélles aux touchans regards
72. Maupertuis avec ses Lunéttes
73. Algaroti le Laboureur
74. nos savans avec leurs Lecteur [sic]
75. mais que me serviront ces fêtes
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76. cher voltaire si vous n'en êtes?
77. Voila tout ce que J'ay le tems de vous dire, sur le point
78. de poursuivre ma marche. adieu, cher voltaire,
79. n'oubliés pas un pauvre Ixion qui travaille comme
80. un misérable a la grande Rouё des événemens et
81. qui ne vous admire pas moins qu'il vous Aime.
82. Signé federic.
[Shelfmark: rare fF840 V 935 d]
[1] This manuscript (Hoose) is the third of three manuscripts identified both in EE and OCV (Letter D2602). It is described as “Copy of original document: old transcription.”
In EE’s “Manuscript Instances”, the first manuscript is described as “Holograph”, located at the Prussian Secret State Archives / Preussisches Geheimes Staatsarchiv, Berlin, state of Berlin, Germany.
The second manuscript is described as “Copy made for Mme Denis” located at Voltaire Institute and Museum / Institut et musée Voltaire, Geneva, canton of Geneva, Switzerland.
Collection Theodore D. N. Besterman, MS FD, Foliation: pp. 175–178.
For corresponding print instances available in our USC collection, see: Kehl: vol. 65, pp. 96-98; OCV: vol. 92, pp. 183-185.
[2] “pons” or “ponz” was an older spelling for the plural form of the word “pont” (bridge); See: Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330-1500) http://www.atilf.fr/dmf/
[3] The scribe wrote “meme” but in the interest of clarity the spelling has been corrected.
[4] Here there is a strikethrough where the scribe made a mistake.
[5] The scribe wrote “se plies” but in the interest of clarity the spelling has been corrected.
![In Tribau[1], this 12th April 1742](http://scalar.usc.edu/works/voltaire/media/vol-coll874-02-03-01~1.jpg){kind=link}
![and merriment. It is because of M. de Broglie’s[3] cries for help](http://scalar.usc.edu/works/voltaire/media/vol-coll874-02-03-01~2.jpg){kind=link}
